2 U.S. men accused of murdering woman in Philippines

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:03 AM PT — Friday, Dec. 28, 2018

At around 2:40 AM on the day before Christmas Eve in the Philippines, 21-year-old Troy Woody Jr. and 22-year-old Mir Islam loaded a box into a waiting taxi cab, and told the driver to take them to the Pasig River. Once they arrived, the two threw the box into the river and returned to their condominium.

The driver, however, went straight to the police.

“They had told me to go to Pasig River. Once we got there, they picked up the bag and threw it out of the vehicle and immediately jumped back on the vehicle. I then brought them back to Robinson Place. After dropping them off, I went to the police station.” — John Quimba, cab driver

Based on the driver’s tip, police searched the area and said they discovered the body of 23-year-old Tomi Masters — Woody’s alleged girlfriend. Authorities said they believed the two had a falling out after Masters told Woody she wanted to return to Indiana.

“We found out that the body at the crime scene didn’t have any wounds. It maybe possible that one of the causes of death may have been suffocation, or strangulation, as there was no evidence of any wounds. She was discovered at the crime scene after removing wrapping which was around a black plastic bag.” — Igmedia Bernaldez, Commander of the Manila Police District

Suspects Troy Woody Jr. (left) and Mir Islam(right), were arrested in Manila for allegedly dumping the body of 23-year-old Tomi Masters in a local river. (Photos/Manila Police Dept.)

Police arrested both men at their condo, where they both allegedly accused each other of the crime. It’s not yet known if Masters was dead before she was thrown in the water.

Woody describes himself as an “early crypto-investor” and is a known Bitcoin trader. Reports detailed Islam’s criminal past, noting he was sentenced to a year in prison in 2016 for stalking people online as well as reporting phony bomb threats and hostage situations.